Nordic Walking: A Full-Body Workout at Walking Pace

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In her 2025 Prevention article, Elissa Johnson discusses Nordic walking, a fitness trend that uses walking poles to provide a full-body workout. By engaging the upper body and improving stability, Nordic walking offers a lower-impact alternative to jogging while still delivering meaningful fitness benefits. This post highlights a beginner-friendly, step-by-step guide to help readers get started and incorporate Nordic walking into their daily fitness routine. Guidance from Harvard Health Publishing and the Cleveland Clinic fills in the clinical detail.

Key Points

  • What it is, and where it came from. Nordic walking is simply walking with a pair of specialized poles, Eva Peña, founder of Wellness+ Studio, tells Johnson. Unlike skiing or hiking, you can do it almost anywhere in ordinary walking shoes. Both Harvard and the Cleveland Clinic note the activity began as off-season training for cross-country skiers. Dr. Aaron Baggish, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Harvard that in Switzerland he would see crowds of people over 70 heading for the mountains with poles on Saturday mornings.
  • The poles do real work. Martica Heaner, a certified Nordic walking instructor, told Johnson the poles push your body forward in a way plain walking cannot. Peña explains that the pushing and pulling motion recruits the triceps, lats, and core. The clinical sources put numbers on it: Baggish estimates 80 to 90 percent of your muscles are engaged, against roughly 50 percent when walking without poles, and Cleveland Clinic exercise specialist Ben Kuharik gives a similar figure of more than 90 percent, naming the back, chest, shoulders, and arms.
  • A bigger calorie burn. Peña told Johnson that Nordic walking can deliver up to 20 percent more calorie burn than regular walking. Harvard and the Cleveland Clinic both cite a wider band from studies, from 18 percent to 67 percent more. Cleveland Clinic adds that the poles make walkers more efficient, with some estimates suggesting a pace up to 25 percent faster.
  • What the research shows. Johnson points to a 2013 study of older adults that found improvements in upper-body strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance, and to research on patients with coronary artery disease showing better cardiovascular performance. Cleveland Clinic cites a similar finding on heart function and quality of life, plus a three-week program that improved coordination in cardiac rehabilitation patients. Harvard’s list is longer still, including reductions in fat mass, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, waist circumference, anxiety, and chronic pain.
  • Steadier, and easier on the joints. Heaner told Johnson the poles help keep you upright, your gait symmetrical, and your body balanced, which matters for anyone with joint trouble. Cleveland Clinic notes each pole plant takes a little load off the ankles, knees, and hips, making it a good option for people managing leg pain. Baggish goes further, telling Harvard that people with balance problems are among the best candidates, precisely because the poles add contact points with the ground.
  • How to walk properly. Johnson lays out four steps. Keep your shoulders down and your back straight. Hold a pole in each hand, close to your body and always angled behind you, so you use them to propel yourself forward. Walk normally, rolling from heel to toe. Let your arms and poles swing opposite your legs. Cleveland Clinic adds that the pole should touch down beside your leg, midway between your feet, for a small push rather than a big plant, and that a relaxed grip beats a tight one. Harvard describes two techniques, double poling and single poling, with Baggish suggesting beginners start with single poling and build up speed gradually.
  • Choosing poles. Peña advises getting the right height for your body and your terrain, and choosing handles that are comfortable and have a strap. Heaner suggests gloves for anyone with arthritis or wrist problems. You do not need expensive gear, Johnson notes. Harvard puts the range at roughly $20 to $200 a pair, in aluminum or carbon, with pointed tips for trails and rubber tips for pavement. Kuharik’s one caveat is that a stick found in the woods will not do.
  • Before you start. Baggish told Harvard that most people are candidates, but advises checking with a doctor first, particularly with heart disease. Kuharik adds that Nordic walking is not recommended while recovering from an upper-body injury, given the load on the wrists, shoulders, and elbows. Harvard’s practical tips: wear clothing that allows plenty of arm swing, drink water before or during your route, and give yourself a 10-minute warm-up and cool-down.

Nordic walking’s appeal is less about any single number than about who it lets in. It asks for two poles and a stretch of sidewalk, forgives bad knees, and steadies people who might otherwise walk less or not at all. The result is a workout that reaches the whole body without the pounding of a run, available at almost any age and fitness level. As Peña puts it to Johnson, it suits people of all ages and abilities.

Acknowledgement: This summary was generated using AI writing tools as part of my AI exploration process. For more information, check out the original article listed below.

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